St. Mary Magdalene said to St. Mechtilde: "Whoever shall give thanks to God for all the tears I shed upon the feet of Jesus, our most merciful God will grant them, through my intercession, remission of all their sins before their death, and a great increase of love of God."

Holy Holy Holy Mary Magdalene, lamp of the world ablaze with love, your faith has saved you, pray for me at the feet of our Redeemer. Amen.

"With agonied black tears,

Mary prostrate on the floor adores

Wipes His feet dry with her own hair

Then forth her precious perfume pours."

I am currently pregnant with my third child, and my OB is telling me that I should get a tubal ligation to prevent another pregnancy since all my kids are born via Cesarean Delivery. My CS cut is too near in my bladder already and she said I can only deliver 3 kids based on my medical history and age.

I know its a grave sin to have your tubes tied. I don’t like to commit a sin but i am so confused right now. Can someone enlighten me on what to do. Thank you.

EDIT: I am SO SO SORRY for the title!! 😭😭 I totally didn't mean it like that. It was very poorly phrased on my part, I apologise for any confusion or negativity caused. When I was writing it, I genuinely didn't have the slightest clue it could be interpreted like that, at all. I'm Asian myself, so trust me I was not trying to be racist in any way!! I simply meant the whole DECOR and ARCHITECTURE was the COLOUR white. As in the sort of white you see when you put typical printer paper into sunlight, that sort of shade. NOT the race!!! But I cannot blame anyone but myself, apparently I do not have a way with words. Again, I'm sorry please forgive me.

For those who did answer about the church that is DECORATED in white, thank you!! I haven't found it yet, and there's a great chance I'm misremembering, but I have found looking into the churches you suggested really interesting, and I really really appreciate it <3

Also, does anyone know how to change the title???? Everyone's telling me to do it but I really don't know how to 😭😭

One time I went to France, I distinctly remember going to a 6pm mass.
It was spoken in French I think (we were trying to find an English one but I'm pretty sure we ended up at this French one), and I most vividly remember it being an all-white church.
Like blindingly white. Well, I could still see of course, but the floor, walls, pews, altar etc. all the purest shade of white.

Before going back there, I spent years truly believing it was in Lourdes, but when I went two years ago, I went everywhere I thought it could be but I couldn't find it!! I'm going again this year so I kind of what to know if it actually exists or not.

Another thing is I remember it being quite small, more like the size of a small chapel than a typical church building , and it wasn't on the ground floor, you had to walk up at least one flight of stairs to get there.

Does anyone know if this is real? or is my memory making things up lol?

***NOT LOOKING FOR MEDICAL ADVICE, but rather spiritual advice. I am not in a position to experiment with various medical interventions, as my husband works out of state 70% of the year and I have zero family or support with 3 children. BC is life saving and completely addresses the underlying issues for me at this time.***

Exactly as the title says…how do I reconcile with the relief of being 99% unable to get pregnant (3 kids, 3 c-sections, major post partum, we are done for now) and the fact that this medication is life saving for me. For years, I’ve experienced suicidal ideation, wanting to divorce my husband, and feel like running my car into a wall and ending it all from my PMDD symptoms. On birth control, I stop having a period, and PMDD vanishes. I am a better mother, wife and human, and I actually want to be alive. But I also appreciate the relief of the contraceptive effect. How do I reconcile this as a Catholic woman? Thank you.

Im unsure of what will happen to me after leaving this place. I believe in the Trinity and the Catholic canon but I've not been baptised or set foot in a catholic church, not even as a catechumen.

I believe in a few days I'll be gone and I'm unsure of my fate after that.

I've tried confessing everything to God directly but im not sure if it's valid without the involvement of a priest.

I've been a seeking convert since age 12 so about 6 years at this point, have covered some theology across the works of St.Augustine and St.Thomas Aquinas in that time period but haven't had the chance to receive the Sacraments.

Will appreciate any clarification.

Hi! I guess this is more venting than asking for advice, but I thought maybe someone would have some insight I didn’t.

I’m a born and raised Catholic, never left the church, only attended two parishes in my life (and only because I moved from my hometown). Up until I got married I was heavily involved in the parish, volunteered for everything, from cleaning to planing events and to be honest I was always kinda overlooked for friendships with the other ladies at the parish, but I really didn’t mind, it was good enough for me. Then I met my husband when he started attending Mass. We got married very quickly, which I was told was one of the problems for people. We married 5 months after our first date, another thing is: he is very much older than me. I was freshly 26 and he was 48 at the time, didn’t matter to me and we got married quickly cause I wanted three kids before 30, and by the grace of God we did, our first child was born 10 months after our wedding and I’m currently pregnant with the third, I’ve been basically pregnant since our wedding night at this point. All of this means I don’t have enough time to do all the volunteering I did before and the ladies at the parish are incredibly mean to me and don’t want to even let their kids play with mine. One told me my marriage makes them uncomfortable and that my husband’s past doesn’t belong around children. Now, my husband used to be a musician and has struggled with addiction, he’s been sober for 5 years now is a wonderful person, so I don’t understand the prejudice, we are all sinners. I’ve talked to our priest, and as much as he is supportive of me and I do consider him a friend, he can’t exactly force people to be nice.

Is this a weird thing? Should we go to a different parish? Or is it just my hormonal brain malfunctioning? My husband says he doesn’t mind, it’s his cross to bear, but he says he’ll happily go to a different parish if that will make me happy.

My dear friend and her husband have been trying to have a baby for years with no luck. I truly believe that prayer can aid or change her situation - there is nothing medically wrong. Do any of you have special prayers or acts that you believe helped with infertility? I am Catholic, she is protestant. I believe prayer and invoking specific saints helped my husband and I conceive our first child when we were not sure if we could.

I have been praying for them via St. Gerard, St. Anne, and Mary. A lot of the prayers I have found for the intention regarding conception/fertility are focused on the person praying them. I have sent her prayers and novenas for this cause but she says she struggles with prayer.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share my story with you as I am a bit lost right now.

I am in my late 20s, I was raised in an atheist family, but with Catholic culture (sounds a bit confusing, I know - think wrapping advent wreath, very occasional church visit, suggestion to pray to the Virgin Mary but no specific prayer etc.).

Religion hasn’t play a big role in my life until a few years ago when I got closer to Israel and then subsequently started exploring Judaism, which really resonated with me - and especially the radical monotheism of Judaism, the belief in One God (compared to the Trinity). I still keep this belief.

I went very far with my conversion and even underwent the circumcision a year ago. Yet I am doubting things and I feel like I might have done a mistake with this. As much as I love the Jewish people and I have a sort of similar spirit, I still don’t feel like I fully belong to the “tribe”. And I dislike that a lot of emphasis is put on the community life, rather than the faith itself. The faith is rather secondary, keeping the commandments and being active in the community is what is valued. Of course this differs among the various streams.

Deep down I miss the bits of Catholicity I experienced and I still feel that it is my culture. But my believes still align with Judaism, especially when it comes to the teachings about God.

Thanks for any insight.

Hi, I’m a Catholic nurse and I’m trying to deepen my understanding of the Church’s teaching on healthcare ethics.

In my work, I regularly encounter situations involving significant medical interventions such as tracheostomies, long-term mechanical ventilation, feeding tubes, dialysis, and other life-sustaining treatments. Many of these patients have severe chronic illnesses, complex genetic conditions, profound neurological impairments, or terminal diagnoses. Some interventions can prolong life for many years, while others may only extend it or delay an inevitable death.

I understand that the Church teaches the sanctity of human life and rejects euthanasia, but I’m hoping to better understand how Catholic moral theology distinguishes between ordinary/proportionate and extraordinary/disproportionate means.

Some other questions I’ve been thinking about:

Is there a point at which life-sustaining treatment can be morally declined or withdrawn?

How are quality of life considerations weighed, if at all?

What guidance does the Church provide to healthcare workers who must participate in these decisions?

Are there recommended Church documents, encyclicals, or writings from Catholic perspectives that address these issues in depth?

Thanks for any insight!

First time I heard that I was shocked, what is thaat my brothers?!

Mortification of five senses, this is nuts!!!

They never said it's easy to be catholic

God have mercy on us

I am relatively new to this forum, but I already read several posts of how difficult it is for some people to follow the rules of catholicism (i.e. avoiding 7 sins or following 10 commandments, etc.). Now for me these constraints have always been a relief, because they facilitate my decision making tremendously and I have to think less about the various options in most situations in life. For example: I am married, and a person starts flirting, I don‘t need to think if I am interested or „what would be …“ stuff, because I should not commit adultary and therefore there is no choice in how to handle this situation.

I hope I do not offend anyone with this question, I am just curious how you see these rules for yourself.

Whenever I tell people I am catholic they just hate for no reason and throw comments that they don’t even understand. I am sure others have felt this before and I just don’t know what to do.

Was it a feeling? a Catholic friend? Or a Catholic you were dating? Being inside a Catholic church? Hearing a Catholic choir? Leaving a Protestant church? An illness or near death experience? Another hardship? A sudden moment of clarity? The Catholic doctrine itself? The Eucharist? A papal inauguration?

TIA :)

So basically i just recieved my Ignatius study bible. But i have a problem it is over 2300 pages and hardcover. How do i even read this? If i just put it on the table its almost inpossible to flip the pages, but if i put it in my lap it is very heavy. Any tips on this?

Are there any non-clergy here who pray the Divine Office? If so, for how long, and how has it helped you?

For about six months I had a subscription to the Word On Fire monthly paperback edition but I cancelled it because I didn't take the time to do “the work”, so to speak. Since then I have read the Office on the iBreviary app, albeit sporadically.

Now here comes the gorgeous WoF, USCCB-approved, re-translated edition and I have an itchy finger to pull that Buy trigger. My excuse is that someday I will devote the time it takes to pray the office properly — I don’t want to just buy pretty books.

I have Vol I-V of the beautiful WoF Bible and I have (nearly) read every page of it to great personal benefit. But the Office puts you on on a schedule that the Bible does not

Has anyone here purchased an advanced copy of Word on Fire’s Liturgy of the Hours?

So, reading Rosary testimonies and a lot of them feature relatively quick changes in lives of those who pray it. Meanwhile I pray multiple Rosaries for about 80 days with little effect and I can’t help but feel a little envious that others see their lives improved much quicker….

Has anyone also experienced „delayed graces” or „Rosary envy” as I like to call it?

I'm a catechist for our parish's OCIA program, second year starting soon, and I'm hoping to gather practical advice. I was born and raised in the Church so I never went through OCIA myself. If you are a catechist, are currently attending OCIA, or went through the process yourself, I'd love to hear your perspective about OCIA, what worked and what didn't. 

Some background info: The people in my class are almost entirely young Catholic adults who have not yet received Confirmation. My parish uses Journey of Faith for Adults (by the Liguori Christian Initiation program), and we basically would spend each weekly meeting going through those materials, and occasionally a clip I would find from Fr Mike Schmitz, or FORMED. I don't have any objections to that, but there were many times where I felt like the class was not engaged, participation was low, very few questions or discussions were generated (which could all be due to my approach). This coming year, I'm thinking of having the class form prayer groups of 3 or 4 people, and begin each meeting with the small groups discussing their prayer life and intentions amongst themselves. Has anyone tried something like that?

•  What made a session fruitful in your experience? Was it a particular teaching style, a discussion format?
• What do you wish someone had told you before you started teaching (or before you went through OCIA)?
• Common pitfalls to avoid?
• Any favorite resources, books, or materials you've found genuinely helpful? Last year I would lean on the Catechism, and Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma (By Ludwig Ott).

My hope is to help the whole class foster a living faith and deeper discipleship with Jesus and His Church.

In Jesus, through Mary

St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor

St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Capuchin polyglot, led a charge against the Ottomans with a crucifix. Doctor of the Church, he died in 1619.

St. Lawrence of Brindisi was born Cesare de Rossi on July 22, 1559, at Brindisi in southern Italy. He entered the Capuchin Order and became one of the most learned men of his time, mastering most European languages as well as Hebrew.

He served as chaplain to the imperial army and personally led a charge against the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Székesfehérvár in 1601, armed only with a crucifix. He served as papal nuncio to various courts.

His theological writings fill fifteen large volumes. He died July 22, 1619, at Lisbon. He was declared Doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII in 1959.

I want to sacrifice my life to lead others to faith, but how can I tell others, “God loves you, and through Him you will find salvation,” when I myself struggle intensely with anxiety and depression? It’s not as if God has never helped me. quite the opposite, there are moments when He gives me a break from this suffering, but it’s still there. I have terrible headaches every day and am in a bad place in my life since a long time. How could I ever convince anyone that this loving God exists when I myself am suffering so much?

Hello, I am an atheist and, I am planning on going to mass this weekend. Is there anything I should know before going? I have been questioning atheism lately, and I have been looking into the Catholic Church.

I have been sharing sources on the real presence in the Eucharist with my family to try to convince them of it. Recently it was an hour and a half long video of Brant Pitre discussing how the OT points to the Eucharist. Anytime a good point is raised they immediately object by bringing up the thief on the cross. A few weeks ago the same thing happened but with baptism. I tried to convince them of the necessity of baptism and they objected with the thief on the cross. It’s truly frustrating.

Side note (venting): I’ve even dealing with a lot of loneliness since deciding to become Catholic. My family is reformed non-denom and they believe the Catholic Church is pagan, every ritual is pagan, the pope, every priest, every bishop is pagan, etc. It’s a very lonely road to go down when you don’t have any support from your family.